A NEW LIFE

 

 

Out of all my childhood memories, I cherish the ones of Easter the most. I was born and raised in Croatia. I was 13 years old when my family immigrated to Australia. What remains etched in my heart the most about the home of my birth is the land and its’ nature….every wheat field I ran through, every tree I climbed, every patch of grass with blooming spring flowers……it is all so firmly locked in my heart and it is evoked at Easter time.

When I read the Bible, I know what harvests are and what seasonal festivals are and what shepherds are. And I understand many spiritual truths that were taught by the Saviour using the metaphors that related to agrarian way of life. I know all this because of my homeland of Croatia. I know it because I grew up with it.

Easter was a magical time in my youth. It was a time when winter left and spring came and all that was dead under the snow came to life. A time when violets emerged from the earth and the spring flowers adorned the countryside to herald a renewal of life. It was a time when baby chicks were born so no chocolate, only hard-boiled eggs we decorated to help us remember the new birth. A time when my mother made sure my sisters and I had a brand-new dress to wear to Church Sunday morning with our Easter fare in a basket for the priest to bless. It was a time when spring air was the strongest. I cannot remember it ever raining on Easter Sunday. The sun shone always, like it wanted to remind us that it was a day of re-birth.

Such a fitting time for a resurrection, when nature bloomed and new life awakened. It was a time for me when nature allowed me to see His glory. Easter Sundays for me overshadowed Good Friday and Christ’s death. As important as that was, Easter Sundays were what I  remembered the most because the happiness and knowledge of Christ’s resurrection whispered in spring air.

Now that I am an adult and understand the hope of resurrection for myself, my heart is full of gratitude and hope for the new life that the Saviour has made possible. I know that He lives and has overcome the sting of death for my sake. The suffering He bore to make that possible is something I can never repay but the power He gained to exalt me on high is something I will be grateful for forever.

When You rose from Your grave

With healing in Your wings,

With the crucible of the cross

Forever etched in Your memory;

Did I live on in Your heart

As you ascended to Your throne

To seal your eternal fame?

I bow before Thy greatness;

I bow before Thy holy name.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Clothed in Glory by Chris Brazelton)

A TRAIL OF LOVE

 

My favourite book of the New Testament is the Gospel of John, ‘the disciple whom Jesus loved (John 21:7,20). I see love permeating all of John’s writing. The most endearing is his account of events prior to Christ’s death.  Matthew and Mark wrote briefly of Christ's visit to the town of Bethany before His death. They both said that He was in the house of Simon, the leper, and 'a woman' came and anointed him with precious oil (Matt 26:6,7; Mark 14:3). Luke doesn't even mention the incident. John however, gives us a much clearer view and why it was important for it to be recorded properly. John records that six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany (John 12:1-3).  Why Bethany? Because in Bethany lived Lazarus and his sisters Mary and Martha. This is where Jesus was loved, comforted, accepted and believed so Bethany was his place of refuge. The Passover was imminent and it heralded the beginning of the end.  Imagine with what heavy heart Jesus came to Lazarus' house for the last time. And imagine what solace He felt as the woman who anointed Him was, according to John, not just any woman but Mary, who sat at His feet and hungered for His words of eternal life. It makes sense that Mary would be the woman who would anoint Him for his burial (John 12:7). Mary anointed not only his feet but his head also (Mark 14:3), 'an act of reverential homage rarely rendered even to kings' (James Talmage, "Jesus The Christ", p 512 ). 

Mary spared no expense for the one she loved for she anointed Him with the costly ointment of spikenard. Lazarus' family was wealthy and well known to all the Jews in Jerusalem, especially to the Jewish Council who sought to kill him because Christ raised him from the dead which caused many of the Jews to believe on Him (John 12:10-11). And did Lazarus withdraw his hospitality and shun Jesus because his life was in jeopardy? No, because he loved Him.  So you see He was in a house of love before He began His journey to His death. John wrote this. He made special mention of it because I believe it was important to him to record that even though Christ was despised, bruised and rejected, He was also loved.

None of the other gospels speak of the discourse on love that Jesus delivered at the Last Supper but The Beloved's does. His account of the Last Supper begins with:  'He loved His own which were in the world and He loved them unto the end' (John 13:1). His account of the discourse of love which is related to the Sacrament and our remembrance of Him mentions love 22 times. John records the Saviour giving an amazing promise to all who are sanctified through the cleansing power of the sacrament and who are motivated through their love for Him to obey His commandments. The promise is that they can enjoy the literal companionship of the Father and the Son in this life (John 14:23). This is an amazing promise the Saviour made to those who love Him and keep His commandments. None of the other gospels record such an important promise, only John. Is it any wonder He was called The Beloved?

With all the Saviour suffered on that fateful Friday, we can be assured He carried love in His heart and ‘endured the cross for the joy that was set before him’ (Hebrews 12:1-2).

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Washing Jesus' Feet by Brian Call)

DIVINE HOUR OF SOLITUDE

 

“Reproach hath broken my heart; and I am full of heaviness: and I looked for some to take pity, but there was none; and for comforters, but I found none.”  (Psalm 69:20)

The Saviour made many references to the Father during His earthly ministry. One year I counted He referred to Him 147 times during His visit to the Americas. His closeness with the Father is unmistakable. As Jesus neared the pinnacle of His mission, He was sure that this closeness would see Him through His hour of agony. He knew and acknowledged that everyone else would forsake Him, even His closest disciples, thus He said to them: “…..the hour cometh….that ye shall be scattered….and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me” (John 16:32). Imagine then the shock that induced the heart-breaking words that came from His agony on the cross: “My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46).

As in all experiences of mortality, there is a purpose. Christ’s experience on the cross is no exception. In fact, it heralded the completion of suffering that was the major part of the Atonement. The Father withdrew because:

1. Where there is sin, God’s spirit withdraws (Mosiah 2:36; Helaman 13:8; D&C 1:33). When on the cross, the agony of the Garden returned and intensified so the Saviour took upon himself once again, all sin and thus He became estranged or separated from God and his divine Spirit. (See Talmage, Jesus The Christ, p 661 and McConkie, Mortal Messiah, 4:232, note 22)
2. In that hour of solitude, it was needful for the Saviour to experience the full consequence of sin which leads to spiritual death, meaning being cut off from the presence of God, and His role in redemption of same (Helaman 14:16-18; Alma 12:16; Mormon 9:13-14; D&C 76:36-38; Jacob 3:11)
3. To glorify His Son, the Father allowed the glory to be exclusively His, hence the Saviour could say: “I have trodden the winepress alone: Isaiah 63:3; D&C 76:107, 88:106; 133:48,50).

And so what appears on the surface as cruelty, had a divine purpose. In our extreme moments of earthly suffering, may we remember that it is needful for us to sometimes suffer it alone that the ultimate purpose and tutoring may be accomplished…..but once the lessons are learnt, the test passed and the power gained,  the Saviour can step in and take away the burden. He can then say on our behalf, “It is finished”.

A life well lived,

The price willingly paid,

A glorious victory

At His feet laid.

-    CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Behold the Man by Christopher Young)

 

UNSHAKEN FAITH

When we think of the power of faith, we usually cast our minds on the Brother of Jared whose power of faith was so strong that the Lord could not be restrained from revealing himself (Ether 3:9-13). We might say, when faith is exercised, God is bound (see James Talmage, Articles of Faith, Chapter 5,  p 103).

There is another story of faith in the Book of Mormon that intrigues me to my core. It is the story of Enos whose faith became ‘unshaken’ in the Lord during his lengthy prayer in the forest (Enos 1:2,11). Faith is mentioned seven times in one chapter that constitutes the book of Enos. So unshaken in his faith Enos became that the Lord told him that his desires will be granted him (v 12, 15). And this was the desire of Enos: that the record of his people be preserved and brought unto salvation of the Lamanites at a future date (v 13). The Lord informed him that his predecessors too have ‘required’ this of Him and that their faith will be honoured also and the records therefore preserved (v 18). So bound did the Lord feel by the faith of these righteous men that he made a covenant with Enos as to the fulfilment of His request (v 16).

This is what fascinates me:

1. A covenant is usually predicated on what the Lord says and not what we say. When He says, “I am bound when you do what I say” (D&C 82:10), it says to my mind that He is the one that sets the terms. Did Enos and his forefathers play such an important part in bringing forth the Book of Mormon? It makes one think that we are all more involved in the salvation process of the human race than we realise, that The Plan of Salvation is not a singular act. All individual efforts go toward the success of the whole.
2. I cannot imagine faith of such magnitude that would bind the Saviour to a covenant. This is something to contemplate seriously for deeper understanding of the power of faith. The only explanation in this instance that is presented to my mind, is the motive of Enos’ faith for preservation of the plates. It was not the plates or the record of his people that he was so determined be brought to light, but what was in them…..and that was, according to Enos’ son Jarom, the revealed Plan of Salvation (Jarom 1:2). According to the Guide to Scriptures, only Jarom and Alma used that term (Alma 24:14; 42:5) in the Book of Mormon. Elsewhere in the scriptures, it is referred to as the Plan of Redemption.

Since Jesus Christ is central to the Father's Plan of Salvation and  Redemption and this is what the keepers of the gold plates desired to be preserved and brought to light, it means only one thing – their faith was grounded in the Saviour of the world. Is it any wonder that the Lord felt bound by their faith? He is a personal God who honours his righteous and faithful people and those who would have him be their God (1 Nephi 17:40). What could we not accomplish if our faith in Him, who possesses all power, is sufficient??? There are yet many more records that need to be brought to light. Are we yearning for more word of God??? Are we praying and asking in faith for these records to be revealed to us or are we leaving it all to God? Do we feel that we have a part in the accomplishment of His righteous purposes? Again, the Plan of Salvation is not a singular act. We are all players and the stage is set. 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: My Father's Work by Chris Brazelton)

 

TEMPLE MANIFESTATIONS

 

“Elder John Mickelson Lang, a temple worker in the St. George Temple, received the following manifestation in the sacred structure in 1928:

One day while baptismal rites were being performed, I distinctly heard a voice at the east end of the font, very close to the ceiling, calling the names of the dead to witness their own baptism, allowing a moment for each spirit to present itself. After hearing many names called, I noticed a difference in the pronunciation of some of them. It seemed that the spirit who was calling must have a different list to ours. I was so impressed at the time that I placed my arm about the shoulders of Brother W.T. Morris, clerk, who was passing, and called his attention to the sound of the voice, but it was not discernible to him.

The occurrence had taken place in March of 1928, and it continued to prey upon my mind for some months, until one day in October I had gone to an upper room of the Temple, as was my custom, to offer secret prayer, asking for the assistance of God in my work, and to thank Him for showing me that there was a recording angel in His house, to keep a perfect record of that which transpired. I had finished my prayer and was about to leave the room when the question flashed through my mind, “But where and how does He get these names? Some of them were not pronounced the same as ours.”

God knew my thoughts; I never asked of Him to know. The explanation came to me in these words: “Every spirit that comes to earth has a guardian angel, whose duty it is to keep a record of the individual’s parentage, the conditions under which it was born, its inheritance, environment, thoughts and desires, and when the individual’s life is completed, the guardian angel’s mission ends. It returns, makes its report and hands in the record it has kept. This record is placed upon the other book, spoken of as The Book of Life.”

All this gave me to understand that in this other book is preserved the names and perfect dates of every spirit that ever came to earth. It is also made plain therein, how all things will be proven by two or three witnesses; for instance, in case a child is left on a doorstep, the guardian angel of the child, that of the father and of the mother constitute three witnesses to the child’s parentage. There are two witnesses to all things which transpire between any two persons. Also, God can give into the Temples a perfect record of the Lamanites, for instance, or any other people who have no earth record.

God is perfect. His record is perfect. We will be judged from the books.

I bear record that this testimony is true for I received it from an angel in the house of the Lord.”  (“Temple Manifestations – The St. George Temple, p 75-76)

 

Your life has come and gone

But your footprints remain

And your blood courses through my veins.

Because of God’s eternal grace

We will once again embrace.

I weep not that we are now apart,

For I carry you with me,

I carry you in my heart.

 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Mother to Mother by Katie Garner)

IN REMEMBRANCE

 

 

The approaching Easter is leading me to ponder a lot about the gift of resurrection. Two significant things have stood out to me from the Book of Mormon, that are leading me to rejoice about the resurrection of Christ:

•  When the Saviour instituted the ordinance of the Sacrament, He instructed His disciples to do this “in remembrance of my body which I give a ransom for you” (JST Matthew 26:26b). The emphasis here is on the broken body of Christ which was offered as sacrifice. When visiting the Americas, He instructed the Nephites, “this shall ye do in remembrance of my body, which I have shown unto you” (3 Nephi 18:7). The emphasis here is on the resurrected body of Christ. In other words, ‘even though I was broken and dead, I am now alive and well. Rejoice, for in me is life’. Each time we partake of the Sacrament, our sorrow for the broken body of Christ should be equaled with our joy for His resurrection and the gift of immortality.

• When yet in mortality, the Saviour told His disciples, “Ye are therefore commanded to be perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect” (JST Matthew 5:48). When visiting the Nephites, the Saviour included Himself in that statement by saying, “Therefore, I would that ye should be perfect even as I, or your Father which is in heaven is perfect” (3 Nephi 12:48). Why did He include himself? Because you cannot become perfect without resurrection. I am not saying that Christ was not perfect in character and His spirit, which He was. I am talking about perfection as in completion. In other words: resurrected, complete, finished. This should help us understand that we can only become perfect on resurrection day. Not that resurrection alone will grant that perfection, but that having completed our mortal probation and being sanctified through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we will be resurrected to perfection of both body and spirit. Now that is something to rejoice about!

The glory and majesty of the resurrected Christ is unfathomable to me. I yearn for an experience such as this: “When I was doing missionary work with some of our brethren among the Indians…I found myself one evening in the dreams of the night, in that sacred building, the Temple. After a season of prayer and rejoicing, I was informed that I should have the privilege of entering into one of those rooms, to meet a glorious Personage, and as I entered the door, I saw, seated on a raised platform, the most glorious Being my eyes have ever beheld, or that I even conceived existed in all the eternal worlds. As I approached to be introduced, He arose and stepped towards me with extended arms, and He smiled as He softly spoke my name. If I shall live to be a million years old, I shall never forget that smile. He took me into His arms and kissed me, pressed me to His bosom, and blessed me, until the marrow of my bones seemed to melt! When He had finished, I fell at His feet, and as I bathed them with my tears and kisses, I saw the prints of the nails in the feet of the Redeemer of the world. The feeling that I had in the presence of Him who hath all things in His hands, to have His love, His affection, and His blessings was such that if I ever can receive that of which I had but a foretaste, I would give all that I am, all that I hope to be, to feel what I then felt!”   (Apostle Melvin J. Ballard, Temple Manifestations, p 153)

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: The Risen Lord by Arnold Friberg)

BEING UNSHAKEABLE

 

 

Could we have a better example of steadfastness in the Book of Mormon than Jacob, the brother of Nephi? His valiant defeat of the anti-Christ Sherem is the prime example of his unshakeable faith.

 

Immediately at the beginning of his narration, Jacob made it clear that Sherem pursued an empty goal to ‘shake him from the faith, notwithstanding the many revelations and the many things which he had seen such as angels who had ministered to him and hearing the voice of the Lord…..therefore he could not be shaken’ (Jacob 7:5). And herein begins the formula for guarding against deceit. Imagine being so spiritually healthy and in tune that you see angels and hear the voice of the Lord! Which one of us would not want that???

 

In today’s world of social media, anti-Mormon literature abounds. Those who are convinced of the propaganda they generate are ever zealous to prove us wrong in believing our doctrine. It can be stressful and unnerving. Knowing the scriptures and the teachings of the living prophets goes a long way to ensuring we are impervious to attempts of deceit but Jacob goes further to show us an impenetrable shield of faith to withstand falsehoods. He states that ‘the Lord poured his Spirit into his soul’ to enable him to confound Sherem in his words (Jacob 7:8) and then the very sure, ultimate way, of knowing the truth: “it has been made manifest unto me by the power of the Holy Ghost” (Jacob 7:12).

 

Knowing the scriptures and the teaching of the prophets is a start but the ultimate way to conviction is the power of the Holy Ghost. Once you know by this power, you know…. and nobody can convince you otherwise. This is the power by which Jacob knew if Christ would not come and “there should be no atonement made all mankind must be lost” (v12)…….and because he knew, he could not be shaken. The Holy Ghost is the witness, the testator of truth, the illuminator of our path. We should crave his presence constantly in the caverns of our hearts.

Whereas Jacob defeated the anti-Christ, he did something even more noble……he influenced his son Enos to believe the truth which he himself was convinced of. This was his greatest legacy…passing on his testimony to his posterity. Enos hungered for a remission of his sins. This hunger came from remembering the words which his father often spoke about eternal life (Enos 1:3,4). So Enos prayed and received a remission of his sins, hoping that one day he will hear :"Come unto me, ye blessed, there is a place prepared for you in the mansions of my Father" (Enos 1:27). This hope he owed to his father Jacob, the brother of Nephi, the defender of the faith, the foe to the anti-Christ, Jacob the believer.   

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Jacob the Teacher by Elspeth C. Young)

THE GREATEST HOPE

 

Imagine this mortal experience being wasted. All your learning, your progress, your growth, your suffering, your family associations, disappearing and coming to naught. What a fruitless and nonsensical exercise this life would be! But the approaching Easter stands before us as a symbol of the greatest hope ever given to mortal men. What is that hope? It is the promise of immortality through the Atonement of the Saviour Jesus Christ. One part of the Atonement in particular, the Resurrection.

From Elder Dallin H. Oaks: “I wonder if we fully appreciate the enormous significance of our belief in a literal, universal resurrection. The assurance of immortality is fundamental to our faith. The Prophet Joseph Smith declared: “The fundamental principles of our religion are the testimony of the Apostles and Prophets, concerning Jesus Christ, that He died, was buried, and rose again the third day, and ascended into heaven, and all other things which pertain to our religion are only appendages to it” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, sel. Joseph Fielding Smith [1976], p 121). Of all things in that glorious ministry, why did the Prophet Joseph Smith use the testimony of the Saviour’s death, burial and resurrection as the fundamental principle of our religion, saying that all other things….are only appendanges to it? The answer is found in the fact that the Saviour’s Resurrection is central to what the prophets have called ‘the great and eternal plan of deliverance from death’ (2 Nephi 11:5) (In CR Apr 2000, 17; or Ensign May 2000, p 15)

This is the importance of deliverance from death: “….if the flesh should rise no more our spirits must become subject to that angel who fell from before the presence of the Eternal God, and became the devil, to rise no more. And our spirits must have become like unto him and we become devils, angels to a devil, to be shut out from the presence of our God, and to remain with the father of lies, in misery, like unto himself…..” (2 Nephi 9:8-9). Imagine that as our eternal destiny!

The Saviour’s resurrection offers us something that nothing else can, it offers us a fulness of joy forever (D&C 93:33-34). This is the power of the resurrection for each of us:

We are born into corruption but raised to incorruption;

We are born into dis-honour but raised to glory.

We are born into weakness but raised to power.

(1 Corinthians 15:42, 43)

May we look past the Easter bunny and the chocolate, even past the crucifixion and all the suffering and look towards the greatest hope for all humankind, the gift of resurrection. And may we thank our God for it every day, now and forever….. 

With what heavy steps

You approached the garden’s gate!

You suffered, You atoned,

You hung lifeless on the cross,

As you met Your appointed fate.

 

I waited for my turn on earth

And watched with angels

Your rise from the darkened tomb

That could not contain

The magnitude of You.

 

I saw Your glory that shone so bright

Defeating death and making all anew

And I wept for the greatness of hope

That rose with You. 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN

(Art: Clouds of Heaven by Chris Brazelton)

PRIVILEGE OF MERCY

 

 There is a chapter in the book of Jacob that tugs at my heart. It is chapter 5 that gives us the allegory of the olive tree. It is impossible to enumerate the history and all the aspects of the beauty of this allegory in such a short post. It makes me extremely grateful, however, for the two men who made this treasure available to us: Nephi who accomplished the dangerous task of obtaining the brass plates; and our beloved Prophet of the Restoration, Joseph Smith, for all he suffered to bring the Book of Mormon to the world.

There was a prophet in Israel by the name of Zenos who lived between the time of Abraham and Isaiah and who was martyred for his testimony (Helaman 8:19,20); whose prophecies of Christ’s mission are found only in the Book of Mormon (see Guide to the Scriptures). We know of this prophet because of the brass plates which were taken to the land of the Americas with Lehi and his colony in 600 B.C.

Whilst it is not my wish to overshadow the importance of the House of Israel's lengthy history contained within this allegory, which begs thorough study, and which spans from the time of the first scattering in 721 BC to the Millenium, it is my intention to focus on the Saviour and how he relates to us who are of this House. In the allegory of the olive tree, the Lord of the vineyard sets about plucking, pruning, digging and grafting. He also grieves, preserves, labours, watches and tends to the vineyard constantly, but in particular one tree, the tame olive tree. This tree represents the House of Israel. The Lord’s frantic efforts to ensure its’ divine destiny can be seen through repetitious declarations of His love and long-suffering: His desire to preserve the vineyard is mentioned in the parable 11 times; at least 15 times the Lord expresses His desire to bring the vineyard and its' harvest 'unto my own self'; 8 times He says 'it grieveth me to lose the trees of my vineyard'; and 3 times He asks with anguish, weeping, 'what could I have done more for my vineyard?' The central theme of this allegory is the Saviour's enduring mercy, long-suffering, loving care and his most dedicated work towards His favoured people, the House of Israel. This is the privilege of mercy.

After he recounts the allegory of the olive tree to his people, Jacob exclaims: "....how merciful is our God unto us, for he remembereth the house of Israel, both roots and branches; and he stretches forth his hands unto them all the day long...O then, my beloved brethren, repent ye, and enter in at the strait gate, and continue in the way which is narrow, until ye shall obtain eternal life, O be wise; what can I say more?" (Jacob 6:4,11,12). What indeed?

 

Thy love for Thy people is beyond compare,

Thy mercy affixed forever more.

Thy power delivers us and

Thy loving kindness gathers us;

We are restored by Thy merciful might,

We are Israel, children of light.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Lord of the Vineyard by Scott Sumner)

SERVANTS OF LOVE

 

I have a list of the scriptural greats that I admire. It started with five of my favourites and has grown over the years as they became my teachers and sources of inspiration. Here they are:

• ABRAHAM for his righteousness, his care of his fellowmen and unfathomable trust in God;
• -       ENOCH for his power of the word and his passionate soul;
• -      ISAIAH for his poetic rhetoric and revelatory insight of promised Messiah;
• -     MOSES for choosing slavery over the splendour of Egypt; for believing in his mission and undertaking such a mammoth task;
• -      JOSEPH of EGYPT for his uprightness in a heathen land and his ultimate success against all odds;
• -      JEREMIAH for his unrelenting ministry despite his sufferings;
• -     ELIJAH for his humanity by wishing he could die to end his aloneness and seemingly fruitless labours and for his power born out of his love and obedience for the one true and living God;
• -      EZEKIEL for the exactness of his missionary tasks in the heathen Babylon despite his people’s mockery and disregard of him;
• -    JOHN THE BELOVED for being the Beloved…and his unfailing devotion to Christ and his work that spans eons of time….I want to see him…..desperately….
• -   PAUL for having forsaken ALL for ‘the excellence of the knowledge of Christ’ and his unrelenting missionary labours;
• -       LEHI for being a revelatory dreamer and choosing hardship by obedience over his prosperity;
• -      ALMA THE YOUNGER for his personal journey, for progressing from being one of the vilest of sinners to sorrowing over the sins of his people;
• -       MORMON for his steadfastness in the most evil society by proclaiming himself to be a disciple of Jesus Christ, and his impeccable care and compilation of ancient records for our benefit;

And last but certainly not the least, NEPHI, for always giving credit to God and for his tenacious, inexhaustible faith, but most of all for the exactness of his unfailing obedience. What a delight this man must have been to his parents. Imagine having a son who never questions your wisdom and follows your counsel and guidance with exactness, never wavering. Imagine having a son who does not think your ideas are outdated and your dreams foolishness. A son who is willing to follow you to the ends of the earth and who respects your patriarchal leadership within the family. Imagine a son who never shirks from what you ask of him no matter how hard the task; one who has complete trust in God and never deviates from his commitment to Him. A son who knows his limitations and strengths yet never allows pride to lift him higher than his fellow beings. This was Nephi.

Nephi modelled himself after another obedient son, whom he knew through close association (2 N 11:3) and whom He followed diligently. The more he followed, the more like the Master he became.  What a legacy of obedience Nephi left to all who would see the man behind all he endured, even as did the Son of Man. Nephi, the greatest start to a record that qualifies so valiantly as the second witness of Jesus Christ. Nephi, who fittingly ended his record by summing up the integrity of his character in three most profound words found in scripture: 'I must obey'  (2 Nephi 33:15).

How much you must love those

Who bear witness of Thy holy name.

Thy prophets, Thine everlasting friends,

Thine angels who herald

Thy gospel and Thy name;

To the ends of the earth they speak

And their words forever remain.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art by Liz Lemon Swindle)

HEAVEN'S GIFT

 

I love this painting of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. Not only because it is aesthetically pleasing but because of its’ title, “As One”. It tells me everything about the Plan of Salvation at a glance. Our rise to godhood could never happen without the combined efforts of these three holy personages: the Father’s Plan, the Son’s implementation of the Plan and the Holy Ghost’s refining process which enables our rise to the pinnacle of that Plan. Each are dependent on the other and without all three nothing would be possible. I am in awe of this process.

We know that without faith, repentance and baptism, exaltation is not possible (2 Nephi 31:17,18). A crucial component of this process is the fourth element being the Holy Ghost through whom comes  remission of our sins, by fire (v 17). This is how important the Holy Ghost is: “You might as well baptize a bag of sand as a man, if not done in view of the remission of sins and getting of the Holy Ghost. Baptism by water is but half a baptism, and is good for nothing without the other half – that is, the baptism of the Holy Ghost” (Joseph Smith, History of the Church, 5:499)

Elder David A. Bednar pointed out something significant to this end: “Following our baptism, each of us had hands placed upon our head by those with priesthood authority and was confirmed a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and the Holy Ghost was conferred upon us (see D&C 49:14). The statement ‘receive the Holy Ghost’ in our confirmation was a directive to strive for the baptism of the Spirit…..We were baptized by immersion in water for the remission of sins. We must also be baptized by and immersed in the Spirit of the Lord, ‘and then cometh a remission of your sins by fire and by the Holy Ghost’ (2 Nephi 31:17)’ (in CR April 2006, 29; or Ensign May 2006, 29). Receiving the Holy Ghost is not a passive gift, it is a striving for its cleansing power.

Elder Lynn A. Mickelsen of the Seventy confirmed this theory and explained how it is dependent on the Atonement of Jesus Christ: “Through the Atonement, the Saviour, giving Himself as the ransom for our sins, authorizes the Holy Ghost to cleanse us in a baptism of fire. As the Holy Ghost dwells in us, His purifying presence burns out the filthiness of sin. As soon as the commitment is made, the cleansing process begins” (in CR Oct 2003, 11; or Ensign Nov 2003, p 12). This is suggestive of the gradual process of sanctification just as repentance is sometimes not instantaneous but gradual. The important part of sanctification is the commitment of repentance when we partake of the sacrament. After that, our striving for the companionship of the Holy Ghost should be our daily pursuit.

Father’s Plan cannot come to fruition without the Atonement and neither can sanctification that comes through the mercies of the Atonement by the Holy Ghost. Sanctification cannot happen without the Atonement and the Atonement is not complete without the sanctification. Both the Atonement and sanctification, however, are the necessary components of Father’s Plan. This is the Godhead, As One.

My understanding of and gratitude for the Holy Ghost has increased over the years. I yearn to know this personage once again as I knew Him before. I have wept on many occasions when I have felt Him close; when He has enlightened my mind to understand the truths of eternity; when He has encircled me in the arms of my Father’s love. I am deeply grateful for His administration to me and His sanctifying power as I strive to walk in paths of righteousness.

 

You are the flaming fire

That burns with sacred might;

I surrender my sins

And grant you entrance

To the caverns of my heart.

CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: As One by Danny Hahlbohm)

UNTIL DEATH

 

I am constantly amazed at the way the Book of Mormon clarifies the doctrines of Christ and it amazes me equally how often some of us miss these clarifications. One ordinance in the Church that often gets misunderstood is baptism. I have for many years in the past, like many others no doubt, partaken the sacrament each Sunday with the idea that if I do so I will walk away from the chapel 'clean' as on the day of my baptism. This is of course false. There is only one purpose to our weekly partaking of the sacrament and that is to renew our baptismal covenant of obedience.

The New Testament teaches us that baptism is important, but to me, the reasons why, are quite vague. The idea of purification by baptism as suggested in Acts 22:15-16 stands more as a symbol than a reason, probably because we associate water with cleanliness. The act of baptismal cleanliness is not due to immersion in water but the purifying power of the Holy Ghost for the redemption of sins, which follows (2 Nephi 31:17), but that’s a subject for another post. Paul also symbolises baptism with burial and resurrection in Romans 6:3,4. The greatest symbolism of baptism is, however, re-birth. Just as we are born physically coming forth out of the water of the womb, we are born spiritually in Christ coming forth out of the water of baptism.

Book of Mormon is clear on this fact: baptism's first and foremost objective is to make a covenant of obedience with God.  If the act of baptising was to wash away sins, Jesus being without sin would not need to be baptised. The obvious reaction to this is: He was baptised to be an example to us. But an example of what? This is where the Book of Mormon excels in clarification. Nephi makes it clear that Jesus' willingness to 'fulfill all righteousness' was not to exemplify washing away of sin but to make a covenant of obedience (Matthew 3:15; 2 Nephi 31:5,6,7). In other words, at the time of His baptism, Jesus was making a covenant with the Father that He would be obedient, and in the process, making an example for us to do the same. And, indeed, the renewal of this covenant of obedience is what we hear in our sacramental prayers every Sunday (Moroni 4,5)

When Alma who had fled from King Noah with a small band of followers preached to them the covenant of obedience by the waters of Mormon, the people were so overcome with joy that they committed to baptism there and then (Mosiah 18:10,11). Alma's first baptism was a man called Helam. The words he used as he baptised Helam took the baptismal covenant to a new level. He said: Helam, I baptise thee, having authority from the Almighty God, as a testimony that ye have entered into a covenant to serve him until you are dead...." (Mosiah 18:13). This is serious stuff. Especially considering that anciently covenants were not broken even at the point of death.

Nehi makes it clear that enduring to the end is an essential component of baptism, one on which the whole concept of salvation hangs (2 Nephi 31:16). But there is another reason. Nephi says we must endure "in following the example of the Son' (2 Nephi 31:16). The Saviour endured to the end in every sense of the word. Not just to the end of His life, but to the end of His 'death'. You will recall that His suffering began in the Garden of Gethsemane where His mental anguish caused Him to bleed 'at every pore' (D&C 19:18). This suffering returned to Him when He was upon the cross enduring the physical break-down of His body (see Talmage, Jesus the Christ, p 661 and Tad R. Callister, The Infinite Atonement, p 141). Did Jesus have the power to come down from the cross? Absolutely. But He chose to endure to the end, when all the mankind was redeemed and every soul accounted for, when He could say "it is finished' (JST Matthew 27:54, John 19:30). His death was His moment of choice. All things suffered, all things endured. Obedience made possible. Until death.

How noble You were

When You stepped

Through the water’s gate;

I bequest to You my earthly deeds

And fly to You

With my arms of faith. 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art by Chris Brazelton)

THE ROCK

 

 

“Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof, and so on. You knew that these jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently, He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of – throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were going to be made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace.”  (C.S. Lewis, “Mere Christianity” (NY MacMillan 1960) p 174)

Indeed when we make God our partner in life, He will make of us something far more than we ever expected, and yes at times the construction will hurt. There is one aspect of that construction, however, that C.S. Lewis omitted, and that is the foundation. Why is the foundation important? Compare a recklessly built wooden shack (that most of us build of ourselves) on a sandy beach to a sturdy palace with a foundation firmly embedded in the rocks of the earth. Which one would survive the winds of inclement weather and storm? Consider the Salt Lake Temple presently undergoing reinforcement which is addressing seismic concerns and building ‘a foundation that will withstand the forces of nature into the Millenium’ (President Russell M. Nelson, October 2021 General Conference). Think about what goes on in the temple and see the symbolism of how temple endowed members can have a firm foundation.

In relation to continuing revelation of God’s word in the last days, the Lord said through Nephi: “….wo unto all those who tremble and are angry because of the truth of God! For behold, he that is built upon THE ROCK receiveth it with gladness, and he that is built upon a sandy foundation trembleth lest he shall fall” (2 Nephi 28:28).  And the rain can descend, and the floods come, and the winds can blow, and beat upon that house and it shall not fall if it is founded upon this ROCK (Matthew 7:24-27). Which rock do you ask is this that can withstand all the theories and misguided teachings of men and all viles of the adversary? Only one rock: The Rock Our Redeemer, The Rock of Heaven, The Rock of Our Salvation (Helaman 5:12; Moses 7:53; Deut 32:15;). He is the Rock, the only Rock that can be an invincible foundation. He is Christ the Lord, the God of our hearts, the Redeemer of our souls…..glory be to His name forever!

 

There is none like Thee,

My Saviour and my King,

With power and glory in Thy wings.

Who can compare and who can equal Thee?

How great Thy wisdom,

How great Thy protection,

How great Thy love

That fills my joyful heart;

How very great Thou art!

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: The Wise Man by Haley Miller)

YET TO COME

 

I am sure many of us know of more records that are yet to be revealed. In relation to this, Elder Neal A. Maxwell said: “Today we carry convenient quadruple combinations of the scriptures, but one day, since more scriptures are coming, we may need to pull little red wagons brimful with books” (A Wonderful Flood of Light [1990], p 18). Does this seem overwhelming to those of us who do not study the scriptures now??? It should, because we cannot be given more if we are not ready to receive it.

This is what is yet to come: writings of Enoch (D&C 107:57); writings of Apostle John (Ether 4:16); records of the Lost Tribes (2 Nephi 29:13); the sealed portion of the Book of Mormon comprising approximately two thirds of the record (2 Nephi 27:10,11; see Elder Maxwell’s quoted book). Does it not blow your mind that what we have now is only one third??? Do we know the one third well enough to be given another two thirds to study?. This is what caught my eye the most as I studied 2 Nephi 27 in relation to the sealed portion: the revelations contained in the sealed portion ‘reveal all things from the foundation of the world unto the end thereof….and the day cometh that the words of the book which were sealed shall be read upon the house tops’ (vs 10,11).

And this is the most intriguing part of the sealed portion. Besides the writings of Apostle John which are also contained therein (Ether 4:16), Moroni wrote upon the sealed section ‘the very things which the brother of Jared saw; and there never were greater things made manifest than those which were made manifest unto the brother of Jared’ (v4). I can only assume these revelations are those that ‘reveal all things from the foundation of the world unto the end thereof’. Moroni also states that the Lord commanded him to write these revelations and seal them up together with the interpretation thereof (v5).

And here is something that we need to know. The Lord said to Moroni that these revelations will not be revealed until: 1. the Gentiles shall repent and become ‘clean before the Lord’ (v6) and 2. The Gentiles exercise faith in the Lord even as the brother of Jared did (v7). 'The Gentiles' here refers to us, His Church. He says the revelations were manifested to the Brother of Jared and the Lord will manifest them to us. The operative word here is MANIFEST. Why? Because the brother of Jared did not have just any old weak as water faith….he had a manifesting faith that he exercised when he saw the finger of the Lord.

I am fascinated with the concept of ‘manifesting faith’. I remember when Jesus was walking towards Jerusalem with His disciples. He was hungry and sought figs on a barren tree. He cursed the tree and it withered before their eyes (Matthew 21:19-22). This is manifesting faith….when you bring into reality something that aligns with your belief. This is the faith that manifested the Lord’s finger to the Brother of Jared. This is the faith that is going to be required of us to bring the sealed portion of the Book of Mormon into reality. I think we have some work to do…..

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Brother of Jared by Emily Pugmire)